We headed out around 11:00 am Saturday morning on the 4th of July to go kayaking up at Gilman Pond in Alton, NH.

Steve and Cathy were meeting us up there, and they drove into the parking area just as we were setting up to launch.

It was a beautiful day, though the sun was very hot. We had originally planned to kayak yesterday, Friday, but it had been raining pretty hard off and on for the past couple of days, and drizzle was forecast for Friday. Worked out well.

We all had a good time exploring along the shoreline, and staying out of the hot sun. About 1:00 pm we pulled into a small covered inlet and had lunch, just relaxing in the warm breeze being blown across the slightly rippling pond water.

The girls could have stayed out there all day and probably the night as well, but Steve and I headed for shore after about 2 and a half hours. We loaded both our kayaks onto my car, The Tank, and drove to my house to relax over a well deserved beer until the girls showed up later.

Steve and Cathy headed for home for a dinner they had planned on having, and then returned around 8:00 pm to sit with us out around the fire pit. Between that, Sue and I had our dinner out on the screen porch, and then caught some episodes of House Hunters International on HGTV I had recorded.

It was starting to get a little chilly when they arrived, and so we all had sweat shirts on. They had brought a really nice mixed berry pie that we enjoyed before Sue and Cathy headed off for the top of the ridge to see the fire works.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the towns had canceled their fireworks displays, but so many folks had bought their own that the valley was a spectacular display, sort of like looking at fire flies sparkling against the darkness as the sun dropped below the mountain tops in the distance.

Sue caught a wonderful picture of the moon as it rose above the tree line just before they headed back to the house. Steve and I had stayed behind to protect the beer, but were decided to head into the screen porch as the bugs were being attracted to the fire.

I just crawled into bed after they left as I was beat.

Getting ready to launch.

Sue got this shot of me and Steve paddling out through the lily fields.

Back at the house sitting down to dinner Sue is trying to tell me to not take the shot. She got as far as, "No, don't take...."

Around the fire pit waiting for dark and the fireworks.

Lots of fireworks, and this magnificent moon rising.